Corruption
by Black-Librarian Skirath
Summary: Imperial Guardsman Matthias descends into a journey of darkness and chaos as he discovers he possesses latent psychic powers. Can he stay strong through the taint of chaos, or give into it and embrace it; and how will his friends deal with it.
1. The Assignment

The Assignment

Matthias Craven looked outside the Barrack's window. It was pouring down sheets of rain, again. It was incredibly windy too. He couldn't feel the wind inside the barracks but he did see the palm trees outside swaying violently. He let out a long sigh, his personal trademark and favorite way to start the day. He was still lying in his bunk, other guardsmen were already moving in every direction preparing for their tours of duty. He saw Codeerian Keeler approaching, one of his only friends on the planet.

"Yo man, what are ya still doing in bed?" Codeerian asked. He was already in full uniform, excluding the helmet. His short cut brown hair looked unkempt as usual. He had a healthy pallor to his skin, a stark contrast to Matthias' unusually pale complexion.

"I hate my life Codeerian…" Matthias said while rubbing the crust out of his eyes.

"Ya, you say that a lot. Just get dressed before Davis kicks our asses again."

Matthias glared while freeing himself from his sheets. "Fine, I'll meet you at the armory in fifteen minutes."

With that Codeerian exited. Matthias got up and dodged through the crowd of other guardsmen getting themselves ready for the day. Immediately after leaving his bunk he pulled his foot locker out from under it. The locker was a large, rectangular box about a meter long and half a meter tall; made out of a thick plastic material. He began to pull out his clothing, flak vest, and his helmet. The colors of his regimental uniform were similar to that of the Cadian Regiments that were so famous in this day and age. As he started tying his boots he saw the guardsmen who had worked the night guard shifts returning. They all looked exhausted; he knew that's how he was going to look at the end of the day. As soon as he was done he made his way out of the barracks; squeezing past huddled groups and pushing aside the occasional scrub fresh from planet fall.

He had his helmet held under his left arm as he approached the restrooms. He immediately stood in front of the closest vacant mirror. He removed one of the disposable laser face razors and went to work on making himself seem at least halfway respectable. Small strands of blonde hair faded to nothing as he swept the warm red light across his face. When he was finished he checked the appearance of his uniform, a habit he had formed in his earliest of training years. He sighed as he rubbed the last bit of crust from his light blue eyes and began to leave.

As soon as he exited the barracks he was assaulted by a volley of rain. He shielded his vision and looked up into the sky, the clouds released violent streaks of crackling lightning. The sound of thunder reminded him so much of the sound of artillery cannons. At one point to his long walk to the armory he mistook it for the boom of a Baneblade tank; which he had the misfortune of hearing about three years ago during an Ork incursion.

It had been seventeen years since he had been dragged to this planet, Bultan 1. The Bultan system was quite large, with seven planets orbiting its star; there was also dozens of inhabited moons. It was located on the galactic south of Segmentum Obscurus. The system had belonged to Imperial hands since the Great Crusade; rumors said it was The Immortal Emperor himself that pacified it; although Matthias knew that was highly unlikely.

He himself had been born on a hive world, whose name was now a forgotten memory to him. Having been orphaned at a young age he was moved about constantly during what he was forced to call his childhood. His parent's were a complete enigma as well. He chalked that up to the fact that the universe liked to spit in his face. He had been blessed with ignorance though.

Codeerian was secretly haunted by his own past. He had been born on a small agricultural world, and had fate not intervened he would have been a peaceful grox farmer. But one day when he was about four his world was invaded by Dark Eldar. He had told Matthias that his mother hid him in the basement as the Dark Eldar descended on his home, taking his parents away to some unimaginably horrid fate. Eventually they had both volunteered for service in the Imperial Guard simply because they had nowhere else to go. They had become fast friends and looked out for each other since they were first inducted into The Bultan 167th regiment.

Matthias ran quickly to the armory. As he entered a small squad of about nine other guardsmen walked out past him, carrying plasma rifles. He continued walking until he saw Codeerian performing minor maintenance on a lasgun.

"Why were those guys carrying plasma weapons?" Matthias asked in a confused manner. "We haven't used that since we defeated the orks."

Codeerian sighed, "We never defeated the orks, only sent them running. They're hiding out in the jungle somewhere. A mechanized division was attacked while being transported to here. There were six Leman Russ tanks and a couple of Chimera transports."

"Great… you don't think there will be a waaagh do you?"

"I can't say for sure." Codeerian chuckled, "You know, a waaagh is like a spiritual experience, a sport, and a military action all in one to those green skinned bastards. Must be simple for them, if they get beaten they'll just go and hide until more of their buddies come to help. If they win they smash everything up and put it back together. I hope they do have another waaagh so we can kick their asses all over again!"

"As I recall you pissed yourself five times the last time." Matthias laughed out, holding his hand over his mouth to hide his sneer.

"Hey! Well… I drank too much before battles…"

"Ya, that's why…"

They were both startled by the sound of a lasgun wrack being knocked over. They turned to see Commissar Davis, as intimidating as he had ever been. He was dressed in a black commissarial trench coat; Matthias and Codeerian were both thinking how stupid his large, red hat was. He had a huge scar that went down his right eye leading down to his neck. Rumor had it that was given to him years ago by a nasty ork nob. A regimental fact that all guardsmen had to learn soon, or face serious consequences, was that Commissar Alexander Davis did not wear an eye patch. Why this is an important fact becomes immediately obvious when you're face to face with him, as his eye sort of squirts a gross, thick fluid whenever he blinks.

"Privates…"

Codeerian, being the dirty minded sort, smirked. "Sir…"

Matthias merely backed away, trying to be subtle but merely looked nervous. "Yes sir?"

"How are you boys today?

"Good my lord, just getting ready for our patrol." Matthias spat out awkwardly.

"Yes… about that," the commissar began, "You men were assigned with seven others at the Tyrannic Trench… correct?"

The Tyrannic Trench was, as the name suggested, a huge trench; about a 1200 kilometers wide and 5000 kilometers long. It lied shortly inside the jungles of Bultan 1, making it a ideal location to position troops. It had been created centuries before by a Tyranid Bioship which crash landed onto the planet after an engagement with the Imperial Navy. With its last moments of life it released its deadly cargo of spores onto the planet, which grew into voracious monsters looking to absorb the planet's biomass. How they would have accomplished this without their precious bioship is unknown. What is known is that the Ultramarine Space Marine Chapter spent thirty years purging the stubborn xenos.

"Yes sir, we'll be a light reserve unit for our forces in the jungle." Codeerian said enthusiastically.

"Damn green skins," Davis spat "you can never beat them like a normal enemy, just push them back. Eldar pull out when enough of their troops are slaughtered, Tyranids turn to little more than savage beasts when you eliminate their synapse leaders, and Tau… all you have to do with Tau is kill their xeno Ethereal. Orks though, if you wipe out their leader they'll simply divert from battle and fall into infighting; until the biggest one among them rises up as the new leader. I had a number of engagements with those damned xenos long before you two were born."

Codeerian sighed and slung his lasgun around his shoulder. "We need to be going my lord."

"Actually I'm here to inform you of a slight change in your agenda."

"P-Pardon?" said Matthias in a confused manner.

Commissar Davis gave off a cruel half smile. "I'm sending you both to Nutera to patrol around the slums; to keep the peace, tension and tempers rise when war is so close."

Codeerian's normal joking nature sunk into a pit as he tried to release a rebuttal.

Matthias stepped in, instinctively sensing danger "We lost twenty guardsmen last year alone in those slums. You never captured the perpetrators of those crimes."

"There were executions Private Craven. I saw to them myself…"

Matthias wanted to blurt out how he murdered innocent, of murder at least, people who had fingers pointed at them by Emperor fearing cretins. How no actual proof existed that the dozen or so people Commissar Davis killed were murderers. But he knew such an action would have him shot for treason, such is the way of Imperial life. He merely sighed and said "That area is still dangerous sir… and two lone guardsmen in such a large area is hardly enough to-"

Davis sighed, interrupting Matthias. "Listen Craven, Keeler, the fact of the matter is the ork problem is bigger than what most of us in the higher ranks want getting out. I can't have entire squads patrolling the cities as I'de like to. Orks won't attack that city; I know this because there aren't major weapon production plants, or any bits that would attract green skins. They want battle, and we give them plenty of that in the jungle. Not to mention the fact that we've been entrapping them, making sure their tribes don't spread out. I have a number of reserve squads, fully prepared to enter either the jungle or, should the need arise, Nutera. There are a few other small teams moving about keeping an eye on things in the city. If you have a small problem or inquiry during your patrols you can talk to them."

"And should anything should any crisis arise?" Codeerian asked. He was in a cold sweat from the uncertainty of the situation.

"You can send a message through our Vox-system." Davis said sternly. "I understand you both don't like this. But if anything it's for your own benefit. Ork war bands inflict serious casualties… you're better off in the city.

Matthias thought about what he was being told. Davis did have a point, the average ork was bigger and stronger then the strongest normal human being. An ork Nob can be bigger than a Space Marine in terminator armor. The fact that Imperial Guard forces usually received heavy casualties no matter who or what they faced didn't help in the slightest. Matthias and Codeerian had lost many friends in previous engagements.

Alorn, Galifrey, and Joseph were three guardsmen they had been close to. The memory of their loss came rushing back to Matthias.

Three years ago Eldar came snooping about the planet's mountainous region seeking some unknown agenda, as usual. Our sanctioned psykers were able to glean a small amount of information about the Eldar's plans. The 167th Regiment of Bultan 1 had been sent into the region to combat the Eldar. Something involving a long lost artifact, something of human origin had been lost there. While Segmentum Command wanted to send the regiment in via armored transports, the terrain was too rough to traverse. It was a long arduous trudge through rocky, sparsely vegetated inclines. Matthias and his squad had been positioned in the rear of the Regiment's formation.

Two days into the mountains the front line approached the Eldar's perimeter, intense fighting broke out. Warp Spiders, like swift, elegant machines slaughtered five squads of heavy weapon squads. Before command could get stock of the situation the Warp Spiders teleported away from combat as snipers began to systematically thin out their numbers. At the time Matthias had thanked the Emperor for the fact he was far away from the main fight. He took back that thanks as he heard some horrible, female screams came from behind him.

Howling Banshees, Female Eldar warriors trained in melee combat. Matthias shot several Banshees when his squad had been approached by them. His lasgun was surprisingly effective against the enemy's light armor. The Banshees had an eerie, alien beauty to them. They would be indistinguishable from humans if it weren't for their long ears and unnaturally slim features. He remembered the horrid wails these female xenos let out as they approached them; their cruel swords gleaming in the morning sun. A few had managed to charge the gap between them and Matthias' squad, they immediately disemboweled the foremost guardsmen. One was so entrapped in her work of mutilating his comrade that he managed to sneak up behind her and pierce her torso with his bayonet. Followed by several stabbing motions she fell to the ground, defeated. She spat out wet, blood laced words "You tread in waters too deep for you to comprehend… why do you do this?" Matthias would not be accused of showing mercy to an alien. He slit the Eldar's throat, giving her a quick yet messy death.

The skirmish between his squad and the Banshees lasted for about twenty minutes. Eventually the howling of battle turned to wails of fear. The Banshees began falling back, the guardsmen pursued, gunning down many. Fortunately for the Eldar they disappeared without a trace right before Matthias' squad. After a perimeter check they immediately fell back towards the main force. Shouts of jubilant victory were heard in the distance. The Farseer lay dead with many of her brothers and sisters fallen by her side. Despite the initial losses the Imperial Guard prevailed. General Alemos stood by while half a dozen psykers scanned the scene, trying to find out more about the Eldar's intentions. They of course learnt nothing.

While high command was trying to learn the reason for this conflict the majority of the infantry had begun a celebration. Matthias had met up with Codeerian after an hour of searching through the thousands of similarly dressed soldiers. He asked where the others were. While Matthias' squad was busy fighting off banshees in the rear of the regiment's advance Codeerian was up at the front lines, but not originally. Alorn, Galifrey, and Joseph were in his squad. They had been a considerable distance from the front lines when the fighting broke out. He told how Eldar shuriken cannons bombarded them, and how Warp Spiders attacked on both flanks. The slaughter was quick.

Once the guardsmen were able to retaliate they began their charge, closing the gap between the two forces. Commissar Davis moved up, trying to salvage the moral by moving in at the very front of the charge. A short distance ahead through explosions and flying ammunition they met up with the main bulk of the eldar force. Our guardsmen tore through their lightly armored host of battle. From what Codeerian had told him the Farseer was in the middle of some ritual. Several lasgun shots interrupted her and she flew into a rage. Sparks of lightning and warp energy erupted around them in swirling orbs, clearly being called by her psychic powers. Galifrey and Joseph were caught in one of these orbs. He told Matthias that they were reduced to fluid, even their bones; all the while they were screaming bloody murder.

The morale of the front became shattered by the psychic barrage. Exchanged glances of fear silently spoke of retreat. Commissar Davis took it upon himself to force that thought from everyone's minds. He approached the nearest guardsman and shot him point blank through the skull with his laspistol. He then shouted "The punishment for cowardice is death you maggots! Do not even think of retreating!"

The battle raged on, and though many guardsmen fell to the psychic orbs they eventually prevailed. The few surviving eldar warriors were mowed down, and the Farseer became the focus of all the men's fire. After the perimeter had been secured Codeerian went to see who Davis had shot. He stared aghast at the lifeless eyes of our friend Alorn, steam still rising from the cauterized puncture wound. Matthias and Codeerian didn't celebrate that victory.

"You'll be running the patrol shift for the day and night, if you do this well I'll consider giving you the next day off. This is an offer I will not make again… I suggest you take it Private Craven and Keeler." Commissar Davis said sternly.

Matthias was suddenly pulled back to the present. Codeerian looked at him waiting to see his response. He sighed and slowly offered his answer "It is our duty to follow your command lord, and I thank you for your kindness."

"Good. You boys had better head over there." He said, turning on his heel.

As soon he left Codeerian laughed and said "What an ass."

Matthias immediately glared at him "Someday someone's going to hear the things you say and you're going to be shot!"

"Oh chill out man. That's not gunna happen."

"Lets just get moving. Your lasgun ready?"

"Yes it is. Should we take anything else?"

"Grab a couple of frags, not that we'll need em. Better prepared then dead though."


	2. Faith and Curses

_Here we go. Chapter two, been a long time coming. It's a bit short but think of it like this, shorter chapters, the more often I can upload them. Hope you enjoy the new installment of Corruption._

Faith and Curses

Hours passed as Codeerian and Matthias wandered about the seemingly deserted streets. The rain came down upon them like a flood, drenching them to the bone. Their trench coats had kept relatively dry for about the first five minutes of their trek, but shortly after that the water seeped in.

"This sucks!" Matthias griped. "It's darker out here than it is at night usually! Just look at those clouds, it's like the emperor just decided to take a piss on our heads..."

Codeerian looked up, noticing the thick bolts of lightning flashing across the dark canvas of storm clouds. "I know what you mean..."

"Could be worse though, we could be getting shot at by orks."

"I do like my body without holes big gaping holes..."

The duo trudged on. The sound of their boots splashing against relatively deep pools was barely audible over the booming sounds of thunder and the constant ambience of falling water. Occasionally they would come upon a cloaked figure, they would stop to question them. Each time it was merely an imperial citizen, each compelled to traverse the weather beaten streets by some important task or chore.

Eventually they crossed paths with something they were not prepared for. A disorganized mob of cloaked men came through the windblown mist. Some carried torches that illuminated their path, miraculously staying lit despite the downpour. Others wielded lasweapon fitted spears and chainswords. Matthias and Codeerian both tensed up, gripping their lasguns slightly tighter. A bolt of lightning struck a nearby tower, filling the scene with a bright flash of light. Through the cloaked figures' hoods they saw their faces, which were grotesque combinations of man and animal. On thousands of other worlds throughout the Imperium the two guardsmen would have opened fire upon the monstrous horde, taking down a few of them, only to be overwhelmed by their numbers. However, being that this was Bultan 1, the two relaxed as they recognized what they were dealing with. Homo Sapiens Variatus, or as they are more commonly referred to, beastmen.

The horde came closer, and one of them stepped up to meet Codeerian and Matthias. He was an incredibly tall and lithe figure, proudly holding on to a simplistic bolt pistol and a chainsword decorated with tribal symbols. He pulled back his hood to reveal a face that was reminiscent of the ancient satyrs. Curved, black horns protruded from the back of his skull, and unkempt hair ran down his neck. Around his neck was a crudely constructed necklace holding an ornate, iron aquila at its end. "Greetings to you, Craven and Keeler."

The pair recognized him as Un'tel Yjon, leader of the Bultanese Beastmen Auxillary forces on Bultan 1. Many worlds in the Imperium of Man had laughed or, on more conservative worlds, raged at the idea of equipping and training humans whose genes had deviated to such extremes. The Bultan System was in the Segmentum Obscurus, where mutation and chaos ran rampant. The various beastmen tribes in the system were granted amnesty due to the fact that all their young males were conscripted into the Auxillary forces. The governors of Bultan's other used them more or less as cannon fodder and meat shields, however the actions of Bultan 1's tribes have garnered the respect of the other imperial forces. Un'tel himself knew Matthias and Codeerian from the early campaigns against the orks.

"Well fancy meeting you here!" Codeerian said, happy to see a familiar, though misshapen, face.

"Governor Braxis was displeased with the meager reserves left to protect this city. He sent us to keep the piece, and track down any dissidents. I certainly hope you two won't fall into that category." Un'tel laughed, his yellowed teeth showing through his smile.

"We thought we were the only ones guarding this sector." Matthias stated.

"Fortunately not, I thank the Emperor for bringing us back together again, old friends." Upon speaking the Emperor's name Un'tel grabbed the iron eye bound to his necklace and lifted it to his lips. He whispered what Matthias guessed was a short prayer, giving thanks to the divine ruler of the Imperium.

"Maybe it was the Emperor's guiding hand, but it was Commissar Davis who sent us here." Matthias said. He was not the most devout guardsman in the regiment. He had never seen proof of the Emperor's divinity, so didn't bend to the more religious of imperial dogma. Despite this however, he was still loyal to the Emperor, knowing that historically, past all the hyperbole and myths, he was the one who carved the Imperium out of the galaxy. Creating the world he lived in seemed as good as anything to earn a man's loyalty, not his faith however. He had told Codeerian this once before, his response was to say that many ancient religions worshipped gods they believe created the world. Matthias never had a well formed response to give to that.

Un'tel was well aware of Matthias' skepticism. This was due to the close bond the abhuman had formed with the two; they normally kept things like that between themselves for fear of commissarial punishment, or worse. He was always patient and understanding with him. "Doubting the Emperor doesn't make his actions any less real, Matthias." He said with a soft smile.

"Very true." Said Matthias, not really meaning it.

"So what areas have you and your men checked out?" Codeerian asked, changing the subject.

"We've been out since about midnight earlier. We've patrolled most of the slums and interviewed what few citizens were about and willing to speak to creatures such as ourselves. From what we've gathered this place is in better shape than it's ever been. We had hoped to get a bit of rest and a moment's respite from this damned rain at a chapel down the road. The monk there didn't take kindly to us I'm afraid, made us leave." Both Codeerian and Matthias were upset by this bit of news, especially when they noticed Un'tel's frown. It was a grimace that spoke of wounded pride, a kind of pain that can only come from being denied access to the house of one's god by a man claiming to be one of his representatives.

"Why did he deny you access?" Codeerian asked.

"I do not know the man's name, but perhaps he was right to bar us from the chapel..."

"What do you mean?"

"We are mutants, Codeerian..." Un'tel said, with the deepest pang of regret lingering about in his tone. "We join in Imperial service in hopes that we can make amends and earn forgiveness from the Emperor for being born in these twisted bodies. We must have done something wrong, or perhaps our ancestors did, to be cursed like this."

Matthias had always heard many beastmen believed they were cursed and unloved by the Emperor they cherished so much. It sickened him, Un'tel was a good man. He had been dealt scars for acting selflessly and received no gratitude for that, when a man of unaltered genestock would have received medals and commendations. Matthias walked by Un'tel and through the beastmen horde. "I'm going to go have a talk with this monk. Codeerian you coming?"

"Ya, I'm right behind you. Are you going to be ok Un'tel?"  
"Of course, we'll continue patrolling. Emperor preserve both of you." The beastman said just before barking at his subordinates to begin moving forward.

Ten minutes later the two guardsmen were at the chapel. While the general architecture of the building was simple and small it was adorned with more bits of imperial cult memorabilia than it warranted. On its sides were stained glass windows, each depicting what Matthias guessed were the sons of the Emperor, Primarchs. He saw Guilliman and Lion El'johnson on the left side. On the front there were three more windows, two on either side of the door and one above. They depicted Vulkan, Corax, and the Khan. The two walked in, Matthias' curiosity made him look to the right side where he found Ferrus Manus and Leman Russ. Pews lined up in two rows on the left and right portions of the building, each made from a oak like imported wood. Past the spectacularly decorated pulpit were three more windows, two smaller ones on either side of a much larger, far more ornate one. On the left was Sanguinius, the right Rogal Dorn, and in the center, in all his shining, was the Emperor of Mankind.

There was only one other being in the chapel, a tall man with jet black hair. He wore the simple robes of the Bultanese branch of the Ecclesiarchy. He was a terribly thin man, almost skeletal. Matthias immediately knew who he was when he turned to him, and he let out a sigh.

"Matthias, it's been a while. How are you?" the man asked.

Matthias turned to his partner. "Codeerian, mind waiting outside for me?"

"but it's raining outside..."

"Please, just go, this needs to be a private conversation."

"Fine." Codeerian huffed as he turned back.

"So?" The man said, still waiting for the answer to his previous question.

"I've been well, if you can say that about a guardsman, Gerant.

"That's good." Gerant said, moving about with a brazier swinging from his hand. He spread incense all about the place, filling the air with a strong scent that Matthias couldn't quite identify.

Gerant was an old friend of Matthias, not quite as old as Codeerian, but he had known him almost as long as he had been on Bultan 1. During some of his earlier missions he had been in squads where a priest had been attached to keep the men faithful in times of crisis. Gerant had been the apprentice of one of those priests, a learner in the ways of the Ecclesiarchy and Imperial Cult. They were friends, for some reason. They had agreed on many things, but faith was the one issue they were stood on opposite sides of.

Gerant continued the conversation along. "I myself have been quite well, except a bit of trouble earlier today."

"Beastmen..." Matthias said, matter of factly.

"Yes, actually. How did you know."  
"I know because the leader of those beastmen is a friend."

Gerant stopped, looking back at his friend. "You associate with those... mutants?"

"When was the last time you volunteered to serve in the field Gerant?"

"Quite a few years... what does that have to do with anything?"

"The beastmen Auxillary forces have helped keep this planet and many more in our system for years. They're some of the most faithful warriors I've ever met. Imagine my surprise when I find out you've decided to ban them from your chapel..."

Gerant snorted disdainfully at Matthias' choler. "We are both pure humans, Matthias. Free of the taint of the dark gods, free of the curse of mutation. They however are not. Many worlds have started exterminating them, you know. It disgusts me that the system of my birth does not follow suit. Some worlds have been wiped clean by the fury of the Emperor's fleets for lesser offenses."

"Do you hate them just because of what the Ecclesiarchy have told you, or are you do you have a real reason?" Matthias asked.

"How dare you, you are a friend but don't think you are above reproach in a house of the God-Emperor. Kill the mutant, Matthias. There is logic behind this verse. Especially in the beastmen's case. They are open to corruption, it's in their blood. On the worlds just on the inside there are entire worlds of them, worshipping the Ruinous Powers. Even on the most faithful of worlds, a single crack is all it takes for Chaos to slip in. Everyone of them is a heretic waiting to hear the call of darkness, and I will not have them in my chapel."

"You know, you say they're mutants, monsters. But what about that man there." Matthias pointed at the stained glass depiction of Sanguinius.

"What the devil do you mean?" Gerant asked, his annoyance turning to anger.

"The beastmen are mutants because they have bestial features. Aspects of various animals. But what about the Blood Angel's wings. Aren't those a mutation?"

"Blasphemy! How dare you say that about the Emperor's most faithful son!"

"I'm just saying..." Matthias said softly, realizing he may have gone too far.

"You are my friend, Matthias Craven, so I will forget your transgression on Sanguinius' name. But you listen to me, those beastmen are trouble. I dare say they shall be the undoing of this world."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw them, patrolling the streets, harassing innocent citizens. They went about nearly every building in the area, except one..."

"Just one, why?"

"It's cursed, Matthias."

"Cursed?" Matthias laughed. "What do you mean?"

"Men disappear there. I once saw a sanctioned psyker walk by there. He went mad, convulsing like a million bolts of energy surged through him. He swallowed his own tongue, and died. It reeks of darker powers, and they avoided it, or rather... protected it."

"The Beastmen are emperor fearing and superstitious." said with a smile. "If you're that frightened of the place I bet they're scared shitless of it. What's the story behind it anyway?"

"It's an abandoned hotel, burned decades ago in a fire." Gerant began. "Every soul there died. Ever since then, it's been an open wound in the heart of Nutera."

"I see..." Matthias began to feel a bit adventurous, compelled to prove to his friend that there was nothing cursed about that place or his friend Un'tel. "Codeerian and I will search the place."

"What?" Gerant asked, shocked at Matthias' sudden bravery.

"Yes yes, out of character I know. But I guarantee you nothing is going to happen."

"What about the murders? You can't deny that there is evil lurking about this city."

Matthias thought for a moment. Gerant had a point, the executions that Commissar Davis carried out were hardly reliable. But criminals are just as superstitious as beastmen are, he thought. They certainly wouldn't be in a place like that. "Nothing will happen to me, Gerant, trust me."

"The Emperor protects... but that doesn't mean you can be a fool and survive."

"The Emperor has nothing to do with this, nor do curses." Matthias said as he began walking way.

Gerant wanted to stop him, but he knew Matthias would not be dissuaded from a quest motivated by spite. "I shall pray for you, Matthias..." he said as Matthias pushed passed the chapel doors.

He told Codeerian about where they were going, and Codeerian reluctantly agreed. Matthias had convinced him with the promise of adventure and action, something Codeerian desired fiercely. The pair began marching towards the abandoned building, with lightning clashing about in the sky.

The Emperor protects, Matthias thought, as they became ever closer to the building. Upon their arrival, he saw why Gerant thought it cursed...


End file.
